


Without

by Elathepenn



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, F/M, First Confession, saying goodybe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-05-31 13:19:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19426783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elathepenn/pseuds/Elathepenn
Summary: She’s leaving on her mission. There’s so few hours to spare but she can’t just— She can’t bring herself to leave without saying goodbye.[Or, the story of how Ignis got his necklace]





	Without

She was nervous at first, though she wasn’t entirely sure why. Her doubts disappeared in tandem with her shoulders relaxing as he opened the door to his apartment.

She would be leaving soon, with orders to leave no threads of contact behind. She swallows down the warmth she feels witnessing his smile. She shifts the gift between her fingers, as unwrapped and vulnerable as she intends to be with him.

“This is unexpected. I don’t believe we were scheduled to meet,” he pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. It’s a moment of reflection, in quieting himself and ridding the smile from his face. She could see the effect her presence has on him, watching it resting in the corners of his mouth. She cannot let this joy differ her from her duties.

“I’m leaving tomorrow morning. It’s going to be like I was never here,” the words come out with less strength than she had intended, but she didn’t want their last moments to be lost on pleasantries. Not when the young man she considers to be her best friend deserved better. She shouldn’t even be telling him she’s leaving.

The sound of his leather satchel hitting the floor lands heavy, discarded without regard. His approach is quick, and she watches the multitude of questions flicker behind his eyes.

“Where?” Is the first one that comes from him. Steady and calm, she grabs the hand he unconsciously reached with. With trained efficiency, she slips the gift into his fingers.

“You know I can’t tell you that,” it’s a weak smile on her face, paired with a furrowed brow.

He does not let the hand go to see the gift inside. Instead, they stand tense, connected by shared feelings and intense eye contact. Practiced, deep breathing fills the air like quiet music to hide panicked feelings. 

They both knew this was coming. Neither knew it would happen so fast.

“I noticed you got yourself something,” there’s pleading in her eyes and she takes another step forward. Closing in the space between them, she begins pulling her hand away, attempting to re-retrieve the item. She’s met with resistance as the chain slides out from between his fingers.

He’s just frowning at her, and it has more of an impact than she’s willing to admit. She has to clear her throat before she continues. Gently trembling hands reveal the gift and he does not break to look at it. Instead, he continues to watch her expression while the pendant slides along the chain.

“It’s such a clever decoration you’ve chosen,” the silence from him is both encouraging and making her concerned. She knows the quiet is full of such loud thoughts behind his frown. In order to continue, she breaks the stare, instead pouring her affection onto the ornament, “A skull at this length makes a beautiful statement,” steadying herself, she drapes the jewelry around his neck. Her fingers work the clasp blindly behind his shoulders while she still avoids his gaze. She tests the seal between her thumbs and forefingers, gently running them down the length of the chain. She drops one hand to his chest to feel his raised heartbeat, hot beneath her palm. The other leaves a pointer to punctuate the declaration.

“Vellaria,” he whispers, trying to break her rhythm. She steadies him with the weight of her hand, breaking her view on the skull as it rested so poorly above his top button. His hand twitches ready to go up and meet hers, but she stills him with her earnestness. She silences his interruption with the honesty in her expression.

“Because though death may be at your throat, you do not need to be afraid of it. It is your weapon, and your defense. It is something we will all witness, and something we must all face,” she closes her eyes hard, taking a moment to find her courage to finally deliver her confession, “And so long as I breathe, you will defy death as you have left a legacy behind in my heart.”

She takes a step back, giving him space to register the admission. True to his position as a strategist, he follows her retreat. In seconds, he had fully processed the full grasp of what she admitted. Because it was the same admission he had held close to his chest for too long now.

Two hands frame her face while he closes in. It’s chaste, closed and achingly sweet. A worthy first kiss is shared on what may possibly be their last time seeing each other. He barely removes any distance when he breaks the moment, resting his forehead against hers. There was no time to test boundaries, or to make the moment last. The reciprocation has her weakened, and she finally wraps her arms around him in a hold.

“Though it will change nothing, I would be remiss if I did not admit that I wish you could stay,” she moves again to silence him, soft and supple lips open slightly in a second approach, unwilling to say goodbye without a taste of what will never be. The second kiss lights more between them and the desperation to prolong the farewell is heightened.

They are both keen enough to know that it should not go further. They are both too unwilling to say goodbye to stop.

**Author's Note:**

> So I have this huge canon story in my head that I don’t think I’ll end up writing, but it’s so much fun to enter this world occasionally, I’ll probably post little snippets here and there <3
> 
> Thank you for reading!!


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